The strength of the silent
by Hikari no Seishin
Summary: Zoe Abner is a mute girl who has lived her short life following the shadow of her brother. However, a strange dream and a misunderstanding at the park leads her to Leonidas, one of the mysterious Bakugan who recently came to Earth.
1. Prologue: Dreams of lightning

**Bakugan belongs to Sega Toys and Spin Masters.**

* * *

She opened her eyes to near pitch darkness, caused by the swirling purple clouds above, lightning crackling and occasionally striking the ground in a lilac flash, followed soon after by a powerful boom of thunder. She braced herself with sluggish movements and lifted herself up from the grainy terrain she found herself in.

Still collecting her thoughts together, she looked around that strange place: the horizon opened up to a wasteland, illuminated only by the constant thunderstorm, with giant gray mounds set apart from the obsidian ground. Seeing no vantage in standing there, she sighed and started heading north. Or yet, she thought she was going north.

As she walked along with no purpose, she got to take a better look at the odd mounds. Analyzing at a closer distance, it seemed that statues fit a better description to those shapes. All of them depicted weird mythical creatures, bigger than a building, either collapsed or reaching out desperately to something. What, exactly, she couldn't tell.

A soft hum suddenly and slowly echoed through the air, the lightning storm seemingly stopping in a brief moment of silence. She looked around her blindly, in search for the origin of the humming, to land her eyes on one of the statues, a humanoid shaped falcon reaching out to the skies, its wings stuck on a mid take off stance, as if to lift its half buried body.

She gasped quietly as light began to come from the statue, a simple spark leaving its body and taking of to the darkened sky. Her legs buckled as the ground began to shake, throwing her off balance unceremoniously to the trembling earth. Thousands of statues lit up, the small sparks gathering above in what could only be described as pure unbound energy.

She watched in amazement as the light morphed and began to withdraw. She barely had time to shield herself as energy scattered with a massive boom, shaking the land to its very core, the ground cracking from the intensity, throwing her several feet away through the sheer impact.

She landed with a heavy thud, the air being knocked out of her body. She groggily began to gather herself, it seemed that nothing was broken. Shaking her head to gather her thoughts, she hastily got up and looked upwards again, her confusion immediately dispelled with the sight before her.

The light shining seconds ago was replaced by a gigantic dragon. Even in mid air, it had a clear humanoid stance, the slick black and purple scales serving as an almost perfect camouflage and although it wasn't as big as some as the other statues, it definitely stood out in bulk. Craning her neck to look further upward, her eyes landed on the dragon's face, a triangular, shark like head covered in black scales, two small purple horns protruding from the sides of it's head and a bigger, sharp purple horn coming from the middle of it's head facing forward. It's eyes shone in a cold yellow light as it roared with a mighty rage and, without sparing a glance to it's land of birth, flew towards the stormy sky.

* * *

The boom of thunder was what woke her up from her dream, shaking her out of her half dreaming daze in almost an instant. She shot out of bed in a tangled mess, breathing quickly as if the influx of oxygen would calm her rapidly beating heart. After making sure she wouldn't have a heart attack, she glanced to the clock at her bedside table, sighing heavily as the hands marked two in the morning.

She sat at the edge of the bed, facing the window which displayed the storm outside. Various flashes of lightning danced across the cloudy sky, with booms of thunder accompanying them soon after. The sight did nothing to drown the ringing in her ears, or help her forget the image of that dragon imprinted on the very back of her mind.

Letting out another defeated sigh, she made her way to the desk, her sketchbook conveniently left open on a blank page. She carelessly sat in front of the desk, turning on the lamp and stretching her wrists, she wouldn't be able to sleep if she didn't get that scene out of her head.

Picking a random pencil, she let her mind wander as the graffiti lines on the page slowly began to form a half baked copy of that dream wasteland, her mind too sluggish to make a decent drawing. After deciding that the sketch was good enough, she flipped to another empty page and began to draw the dragon. Her movements on autopilot as the image slowly took form, the thunder outside sounding eerily similar to the roars of a beast.


	2. Chapter 1: Rude awakening

**Bakugan belongs to Sega Toys and Spin Masters.**

* * *

Morning came with the sunlight lazily filtering through the window, illuminating the room and drowning it in a soft atmosphere. Unaffected by the sunrays shining down on her, a young girl slept peacefully, her arms folded on the hard wood surface of her desk to serve as a pillow for her head, contributing to the peaceful morning image.

Said image was interrupted by the sound of loud banging against the door, startling the girl in a way that made her scramble awake and accidentally fall off her chair unceremoniously to the ground. She groaned in pain, dazed from the impromptu awakening and the headache slowly forming in the back of her head, as a new person entered her room:

-Come on, sis, it's time to wake up. - Her brother said, looking down at the sprawled form of his sister with an infuriatingly happy expression – I don't know if you noticed, but it's already noon.

He stepped back as his sister got up with a silent grunt, her body letting out small cracks in protest of spending an entire night sitting on a desk chair. She blinked owlishly as if to drive off any semblance of drowsiness and slowly made her way to the closet, dragging her feet as she walked. Her brother merely laughed at his sister's zombie-like state:

-I´ll be waiting for you downstairs. - He said as he left the room – Don't take too long, dad left a surprise for you.

She didn't seem to register what he had said, paying no attention as her brother left the room. She sorted through her clothes in what almost seemed like disinterest, picking out a random set of clothes and making her outside the room towards the bathroom.

When she decided she was done prepping herself, she stepped back and took a better look at herself. Her long, black hair was held in a messy ponytail, a white tank top contrasting against her tan skin, complemented by black pants and black sneakers, a lilac bandana around her neck providing a bit of color to the outfit. She looked at her face, a tired expression permanently fixed into her dark brown eyes, and sighed heavily. This was going to be just like any other day, she thought to herself, as she exited the bathroom and went downstairs to the kitchen.

* * *

She was met with the sight of her brother waiting for her at the breakfast table, strangely enough. He was looking at something in his laptop, clearly more engrossed in paying attention to it rather than finishing the half-eaten apple he was holding. She promptly snatched the apple from his hand and bit into it, grabbing his attention in the process:

-I was going to eat that. - He whined.

 _Not anymore._ She signed, a cheeky smile on her face as she went to throw away the apple core. What are you watching? She asked, laughing to herself as she saw her brother's face morph into an expression of excitement:

-Oh, I'm watching some Bakugan videos! - he turned the laptop so that the screen was now facing her – There's this girl, Alice, I think, she's a Battle Brawler! They're the ones who created the game, and they post some tutorials to newcomers online.

The girl talking on the video seemed to be about her age, with long orange hair cascading down her back, a few loose strands faming her face. She wore a chipper expression as she explained something about attributes, strange symbols appearing beside her as the video went on.

Aren't you a little old to play this game? She inquired, smirking as her brother took on an annoyed expression:

-They never put an age restriction to it. And fourteen years isn't old, you jerk.

 _Well, you do act like a little kid sometimes._ She signed with a look of pure enjoyment. _Wait, scratch that, most of the time._

-Har-de-har, are we done with the "picking on Alex" section? Or you don't want to see what dad gave us. - He mocked, smirking as his sister huffed indignantly.

 _What is this surprise, anyway, that could have made you barrel into my room and make me start my day with a headache?_ She asked, putting emphasis on her sarcastic expression. She noticed as she sat down in front of him that her brother that a box rested upon the table, seemingly untouched by her brother:

-Oh, I would've woken you up even if there wasn't a surprise. - He joked, earning him a swift slap to his arm. - But seriously, check this out.

He slowly unlocked the front clasp of the box and lifted the lid, probably to cause suspense, and smiled excitedly as his sister looked further into the box and picked one of its contents, analyzing it in between her fingers:

-Cool, right? - He prompted – We went to the store together, but it was dad who picked it. Now you can play Bakugan too!

She shot a skeptical look at her brother and continued to analyze the object. Resting on her hand was a small marble sphere, the gold details giving a nice addition to the mainly red color of the sphere, a white symbol resembling what she thought it was fire painted on one of the marble's sides. She couldn't lie, it probably took a lot of work to paint it:

-I was planning on teaching you how to play after the training today. - He said. - That is...if you want to.

She stopped analyzing the marble to look at her brother, almost letting out a groan of annoyance. He had his head slightly hung, adding to the effect of looking at her with innocent (totally-not-innocent), pleading eyes. She rolled her eyes and stared at the wall in an attempt to not look at the extremely punchable face of her brother. They both knew they couldn't resist each other's puppy eyes, as it was an equally powerful force on both sides.

A few seconds passed as she sighed in resignation and defeat. _Okay._ She signed, facing her brother once more. _But only after training. Then we can do whatever._

She swore he had to have whiplash from how fast his face changed to a bright grin, pretty much pouncing from the table as he took his sister into a hug:

-This is gonna be awesome! You'll like it, I'm sure of it! - He exclaimed while swinging his poor sister around, ignorant to her quiet yet desperate pleas for air.


	3. Chapter 2: Bad Beginnings

**Bakugan belongs to Sega Toys and Spin Masters.**

* * *

Alex let out a whoop of excitement as he landed the somersault with a flourish, bowing to an invisible crowd as his sister clapped from the bench she was sitting:

-Thank you, thank you! You are all a great audience!

-Abner! Get your head out of the clouds! - his teacher reprimanded – The club tournament is due in three weeks. I want to see this routine memorized from beginning to end, got it?

Zoe laughed as her brother repeated the routine in between his teacher's harsh instructions. They normally didn't let people watch the gymnasts train, but since she never made much noise anyway, no one really noticed.

She looked around, watching her brother's classmates as they followed through their routines, the teacher often moving from one student to another, correcting their posture of reprimanding them at any wrong jump or move. She snickered under her breath, at least the teacher didn't pick sides. Her smile took a smugger approach as she watched her brother sit by her side with a defeated sigh, which developed into an elongated groan as his body slid from the wall, almost laying on the bench.

 _Tired already?_ She taunted. _I guess this is what happens when you show off rather than train._

-This wouldn't have happened if you didn't feed my ego. - Her brother complained grumpily.

 _Oh, you did that on your own._ Zoe signed. _If I weren't here, you would only find someone to show off to-_

Her line of thought was interrupted once Alex suddenly sat up straight and pulled his sister into a tight hug:

-Yeah, maybe. But it wouldn't be the same. - He said with a soft voice.

This would have been a tender moment if not for the horrid smell of sweat assaulting her nose, but she let it slide as her brother's usual lack of situation awareness, simply shrugging him away with a roll of her eyes.

 _Go on, smelly. Don't you want to go to the park, or did you give up on that?_ She asked, making sure to not let the slightest bit of hope show on her face. She watched as her brother patted her back and went to the locker room with a skip on his step.

* * *

Of **course** he wouldn't give up, Zoe thought bitterly as she followed a few steps back from her brother, who was waltzing his way to the park with the goofiest grin imaginable. She wasn't being ungrateful, dear god no, but she also didn't see how Bakugan brawling was going to help her case. For all she knew, that was a social people like her brother, people who get you caught up in a conversation with their genuine enthusiasm over something they liked, she knew for a fact she didn't have such charisma. She gulped drily, suddenly the pouch strapped around her hips felt strangely heavy.

Amidst her thoughts, she didn't notice her brother had stopped, resulting in her bumping onto him, disoriented. She shook her head, clearing away the confusion, and looked up at her brother, who was now standing in a pensive expression, looking at the now visible gates to the park.

 _Why did you stop?_ Zoe asked, moving to face him upfront. _The entrance is right there._

Alex seemed to ignore her, furrowing his eyebrows as he apparently focused more effort into his line of thought:

-That's it! - he exclaimed out of nowhere, as if he had found a secret solution to an invisible problem. His sudden outburst made his sister jump, startled.

 _That's...it?_ She inquired, irritated. _That's it what?_

Instead of getting an answer, Zoe was roughly shoved aside, baffled as her brother took a running start at the park:

-The one who gets to the main square first wins! - He exclaimed, issuing a challenge.

So that's how it was going to be.

Zoe smiled cheekily, darting ahead towards the park. Instead of following behind her brother in hopes of outrunning him, she took a sharp turn toward the tree-filled area at her right, darting through the trees like a woman on a mission. Even if he was faster, her brother tended to easily get lost on the simplest paths and, luckily for her, the park didn't change from the few times she visited.

She smiled to herself as the image of the main square began to creep through the grove, with no sight of her brother nearby. Determined, she picked up her pace, adrenaline rushing through her as the square became closer and closer...

...Along with the strangely close figure of a boy walking near the fountain, chatting with who she assumed was his brother. In her panic, she didn't have time to change trajectory as the boy's younger brother noticed her:

-Shuji, watch out! - the young boy warned in vain as she slammed onto the poor victim, knocking them both into the fountain.


	4. Chapter 3: Misleading Misunderstandings

**Bakugan belongs to Sega Toys and Spin Masters.**

* * *

Alex sighed in defeat as he looked at the sign post in search for directions to the main square. To his defense, it seemed like a good idea at the beginning.

He knew by now that Zoe was already there, with how good her sense of direction was, but he did promise to teach her how to play Bakugan once they reached the park. He couldn't just go home, defeated, like other times.

He bit back a sigh. He was genuinely enthusiastic about introducing his sister to the game, seeing as how many kids her age played too, hoping that it would help her break out of her shell. Don't get him wrong, he loved the company his she gave, especially on his routine trainings, but every day it felt like she was more of a shadow than someone keeping him company:

-Yo, Abner! - someone called, snapping Alex out of his thoughts. -Lost again?

He turned to the origin of the voice, expression brightening as he saw who had just called:

-Komba! How're you doing? - Alex asked, enthusiastic, the small boy aproaching him with a big grin on his face:

-Never better! - Komba answered with the same amount of energy –Just beat Shuji in a brawl. You should have seen the look on his face, he was furious!

 _Oh no._ That was the thought that passed through Alex's mind:

-Really? And do you know where he went after that? - He asked, tense.

-Oh, he's still licking his wounds at the square. - Komba answered, oblivious, pointing a thumb behind him. -Though I wouldn't go there now if I were you. He seemed really mad.

-Great! Thanks for the advice! - Alex darted to the pointed location, leaving a bewildered Komba behind.

* * *

Zoe wrung the water out of her hair in frustration, hearing the endless complaints of the boy behind her and doing her best to not let her anger show:

-… and what's your problem, anyway!? - the guy kept on ranting – You think the park is yours to throw people to fountains without warning? Well, it isn't!

She would've given him reason if that wasn't the third variant of the same complaint, but right now it looked like he was trying to pick up a fight for no reason whatsoever. It didn't help that his brother was an absolute suck-up, mimicking his brothers outrage like a human-shaped parrot.

 _What have I ever done to deserve this?_ Zoe thought, finally wringing the last drops of water out of her hair. Taking a deep breath, she put on an apologetic expression and turned to the duo, bowing slightly as to apologize. Thinking that was the end of it, she spun on her heel and made her way to one of the stairs. Even if she had brought her notebook, it would've been useless as it would have been damp from the earlier incident.

She stepped back in surprise as the younger boy of the duo ran to face her upfront, blocking her passage:

-And where do you think you're going?! - he said, freckled face red with anger –I'm not letting you leave until you apologize to my brother.

 _I did, though._ She thought, slowly stepping back, away from the angry kid. Zoe froze as she felt her back hit something soft, most likely the kid's brother. The situation seemingly started to sink in now that the original frustration was gone. The older boy was definitely larger than her, and if she ran the kid would easily catch up to her:

-So? How about it? - she heard the older brother say behind her. - Don't think you're off the hook just 'cause you're a girl.

She gulped drily, lost. They expected an apology, that was fair, but how to explain that they couldn't get that from a girl who can't speak? Cursing her luck, she stepped away from the duo, getting closer to the fountain, trying to get some space away from them.

She felt like a deer in the headlights as she now took a better look at the duo. Her previous deduction was correct, as the older of the duo was definitely taller and stronger than her, the constantly furrowed eyebrows and short haircut helping with the intimidating persona. He wore a white shirt under an orange jacket and green shorts. His brother, however, didn't hold half the aura the older boy had, his freckled face and buck teeth betrayed that he was, in fact, a pipsqueak. He wore a green shirt and blue shorts, his red hair hidden under a white cap.

It seemed that all that analyzing went both ways, Zoe noticed as the older brother's expression went from irritated to one of realization:

-Oh...I get it now...- He said, accusingly – you think you can walk away because you're a Bakugan player...

...Okay, what?

Zoe's eyes went to her pouch where she put her gear, indignant. He really thought that she was a jerk because she could play a silly game?! What world did he live in?

-I'll let you know that you've picked the wrong guy to mess with. -He said with a devious grin. -I happen to be the master of Subterra Bakugan, and you just happened to get me in the mood for a brawl.

The color left her face as she began to question her recent decisions that led her there. She barely knew what Bakugan was, how was she going to fight against someone like that:

-Hah! Look at her face! - The younger kid mocked in between laughs. -That's the face of a rookie! I bet she doesn't even know how to brawl!

-Well, - the kid's brother taunted – she'll just have to learn the hard way...

-Back off, Shuji!


	5. Chapter 4: A Path to Follow

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers belongs to Sega Toys and Spin Masters.**

* * *

The scene Alex was met with was to be expected, to be honest. Every Bakugan player and their mothers knew about the infamous Shuji, the bully who managed to strike fear into the heart of newbies by sheer presence, yet managed to lose spectacularly to any semi decent brawler. Everyone knew about his amazingly short temper, his loyal parrot of a brother, his wondrous talent for trash talking.

Yes, knowing all of this, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the duo backing Zoe to the edge of the fountain, challenging her to a game she didn't even know how to play, simply because they could. Zoe's face was as pale as she could get, the bully's smug expression meant that he had once again spouted some nonsense about being a Bakugan master, and how the poor girl was now going to receive the beating of a lifetime. And poor little sister, new to the brawling world as she was, probably believed every word, and was now thinking of the thousand things that had led her to this moment, regretting every single one of them.

Yes, the scene Alex was met with was the most predictable outcome of a chance encounter with Shuji.

That didn't make him any less angry, though:

\- Didn't you hear me, Shuji? – he hissed – Buzz off, find someone else to bother.

\- And what can do to make me? – Shuji challenged- This is between me and the rookie, Abner, get lost!

\- Typical Abner, always standing up to the rookies. – Akira commented – Go play the hero somewhere else, and stop butting into another folks' business.

\- It's not about playing hero. – Alex started – It's about you having the nerve to pick on my sister.

The comment seemed to catch the duo by surprise, as both were now looking at him as if he grew a second head. Akira was the first one to recover, alternating between glaring at Alex and at his sister:

\- Shuji wasn't picking on anyone! – he defended.

\- Doesn't seem like it from here. – Alex muttered under his breath.

\- And what would you know about that! – Shuji shouted, indignant – She is the one who started it!

\- And I'm finishing it. – Alex retorted – Zoe, let's go.

Taking the cue, Zoe rushed to her brother's side, clutching his arm like a lifeline, as the duo of bullies glared, as if personally offended. Alex began to feel guilt wash over him; he really should have expected this fiasco. They turned away from the duo, making their way towards one of the staircases, ignoring the bullies' furious expressions, the previously fresh air of the park now seemed to have become thick from the interaction.

They were almost at the base of the stairs when Shuji's voice cut through the tension:

-Fine, then! – he yelled, clearly anything but fine- Be a coward, see if I care! I should've known you were too scared to face me.

Immediately, Alex stopped. His sister, who had now relaxed her grip on his arm, looked at her brother with a look of exasperation. 'Don't you dare' she mouthed. Her day was already going badly enough, she didn't need her brother flinging himself to a fight just because of the insults of a bully.

Alex, however, didn't seem to share that mentality, turning around and stomping towards Shuji, unaware that Zoe had let go and followed him a few steps behind, looking ready to bolt:

-Excuse me? - he laughed, sarcastic – Us? Scared of you? Did you hit your head or something?

-Am I wrong? - Shuji asked – If you aren't afraid of brawling against me, then what's with the hurry?

-Maybe they want to run away - Akira oh so helpfully added – because they know you would beat them in an instant, bro.

The comment appeared to have been hilarious to some extent, as Alex threw his head back and laughed as if someone told him the funniest joke of the century. At that point, both his sister and the offending duo in front of him shared the same worry that the boy had lost his mind:

-You? Beating someone? At Bakugan? - he wiped a tear from his eye – Please, any player with half a brain could wipe the floor with you.

-What did you say? Wanna test that, punk?! - Shuji yelled

-Sure, why not? - Alex straightened up, laughter still lingering in his voice – I mean, if you're clearly not gonna let us leave if we don't.

-Let the rookie battle. - Akira interjected – Our fight is with her. After all, she is the one who started this mess.

-Again with that? - Alex sighed – All right, then have it your way. Yo, sis, come over here!

Zoe immediately froze like a deer in the headlights, the three boys now looking at her expectantly. All her instincts yelled at her to chuck her pouch at her stupid brother's face, book it and never ever return to that park, or go outside while she was at it. Instead, she hesitantly walked over to the trio, like an animal walking towards slaughter, and placed herself next to her brother, refusing to look at him. She was going to strangle him by the end of this.

Shuji took a step back, placing himself in front of the fuming girl, Akira standing by his side. Alex placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, ignoring the glare she sent him:

-So, is everyone ready? - He asked, oblivious to the tangible animosity hanging over their heads.

The bullies smirk, each taking out a strange card from their respective pockets:

-Prepare lose, rookie. - Shuji taunted

-Funny. - Alex smiled – I was going to tell you the same thing.

Zoe took a deep breath, trying to put her thoughts in order, when she noticed her brother had taken out a card from her pouch, and was now waving it in front of her face. The card was miraculously dry, painted with as much detail as those marbles that came with it. She noted, with a hint of curiosity, that the symbols painted on the card were the same ones that had appeared on the video Alex was watching earlier that morning:

-Don't worry, sis. - Her brother whispered, as if sharing a secret – Shuji's all bark and zero bite, and besides...

He winked at her, taking out his own, intricately colored card:

-I did tell you I would teach you how to play, didn't I?

Zoe gulped dryly, debating whether she should be relieved or not. She decided in merely following whatever her brother instructed. There was nothing she could do anymore, there was no reason to panic.

As if rehearsed, the boys held out their cards at face level, the black face of the card pointed outwards. Hesitantly, Zoe followed, nearly jumping out of her skin when the trio quickly flipped the painted face of the card outwards, shouting at the top of their lungs:

-Field open!

As if by command, the cards started to shine brightly as the air began to whip around the group, surrounding them in a strong and unnatural wind current. Startled, Zoe looked around, surprised to see that the world around them seemed to slowly stop, frozen in time, and stared at the bullies' confident expressions, and her brother's picture of confidence.

Okay, maybe there were some reasons to panic.

Pain shot through her head as the world began to warp onto itself, shifting, changing, morphing in a way that wasn't normal as the light emanating from the cards began to envelop them. Once again, she went through all of her actions that led her to that moment and, once again, regretted every single one of them.

She was definitely going to strangle her brother by the end of this.

* * *

The place he found himself in was dark. Not the oppressive dark that emanated from the Doom Dimension, or the powerful darkness, born of rage and despair and sorrow, that kept him living. It was merely an empty kind of dark, the one that comes with the absence of light.

Yes, perhaps that was it. It did make sense, if this were to be the pathway between the land of his birth and Vestroia. Of course, the Bakugan fated to their final moments wouldn't get the luxury of light shining over them on their final passage.

He kept wandering along the emptiness. To where, he wasn't sure. Even his objective of reaching Vestroia was lax at best, only fueled by thoughts of destroy, fight, avenge, survive. If it were not for those lingering thoughts, amalgamations of the Bakugan that gave life to him, he definitely would've stayed at the Doom Dimension, for the darkness there held no effect on him.

He continued to mull over those same musings until something compelled him to stop. Something, somewhere, was changing. It held the same familiarity of Vestroia, ergo, a familiarity only acquired from distant fragments of memories, yet it still compelled him to look further, to look further.

Indeed, it was as if a piece of Vestroia was carefully plucked away from its source, molded in a way so that it wouldn't collapse onto itself. A pocket dimension would have best defined that anomaly. Curious, he approached, surprised with what he found.

Within the dimension, emotions and thoughts swirled and melded together. They were not like the sensations that willed him to life, no. These were vibrant. Expressive and unbound and oh so young. They were like multiple voices shouting over each other, all wanting to make themselves known, and almost immediately his head began to hurt from all of that chaotic chatter.

When he turned to leave, however, something stopped him. Amidst the loud chaos, a shier, timid sensation resonated. It was being drowned by the other emotions, but it was so desperate to be able to reach out to someone, anyone, clearly smothered by its surroundings. Perhaps out of pity, he reached out to the tiny emotion, looking further and muffling the white noise around him.

He was baffled with the sheer intensity that reached him, almost making his physical body recoil. The emotion, tiny as it was, held much more intensity than anything else on that tiny piece of nothing. It was a mix of anger, exasperation, panic, regret and determination. The sensation of wanting to yell and scream at the world for letting these emotions exist, and yet, for some reason, it could not. That small sentiment was so close to what had made him in the first place, it lured him in like the long-awaited beacon that would guide him to his destiny, to his purpose.

Without really thinking, he followed his beacon, closed in and focused on nothing else. The closer he got, the more he noticed that that foreign little thought wasn't fleeting like the others. The emotion wasn't old, per se, but it was definitely cultivated over time and repressed through a lifetime, fighting against rational thought and birthing loneliness as a result. He briefly wondered what sort of creature could cultivate something so destructive, but dismissed the thought as soon as it came, now focused on the light and a world slowly taking shape.

He was Leonidas, and he finally had a path to follow.


	6. Chapter 5: Prelude

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers belong to Sega Toys and Spin Masters.**

* * *

Once the pain ringing in her head died out and the light faded, Zoe looked around at the weird place they now found themselves in and came to a definite conclusion: she was either having a weird fever dream (which, honestly, wasn't a first for her) and was still sleeping safely back home or was knocked out cold when she fell onto that fountain.

Either way, that place was definitely not Earth. It was composed of a plain white floor, stretching towards unknown infinites everywhere she looked, and a multicolored sky, various hues, ranging from blues to reds to blacks and greens, moving gracefully like a living watercolor that would make any artist, herself included, dumbfounded at the sight.

The characteristic, loud laugh of her brother cut through her daydreaming (daydreaming inside a dream, what a novel thought) and caught her attention, making her whip around to face the now snickering boy. Alex, or perhaps dream-Alex, had a cheeky smile plastered on his face:

-You are pulled into another dimension and, instead of worrying, the first thing you do is sightsee. - He stated, incredulous –Only you could do this, sis.

Irritated, Zoe swatted his arm, which in turn caused dream-Alex to retaliate by ruffling his sister's hair, laughing as she tried to slap his hand away, annoyed expression on her face:

-Doofus. - He joked.

 _Jerk._ She immediately signed in response.

-I hate to break the bonding moment over there, - Shuji's voice resonated, impatient – but are we brawling or not?!

That seemed to pull the siblings back to reality, turning to see Shuji's displeased face and Akira's restless frown, tapping his foot like a very impatient rabbit. Alex laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, while Zoe's face morphed into a perfectly neutral mask. Ah, right, those two. If they were still there, then this couldn't be a dream. A nightmare, maybe, but not a dream:

-Oops, sorry 'bout that. - her brother apologized.

Alex then put both hands on his sister's shoulders, moving to stand behind her like those coaches that would cheer on fighters in wrestling matches:

-I know this is your first brawl, and the circumstances aren't that great, but big brother got you covered. - He said, earning a raised eyebrow from his sister – The game's really simple, so just follow my instructions and you'll be fine.

-First, pick a gate card. - He continued, backtracking when she pulled a random card from her pouch – No, that's an ability card. Gate cards are completely black, while ability cards have designs painted on them.

With that new information in mind, Zoe picked a card that filled her brother's description. Looking at the bullies on the other side, she noted that Shuji was also pulling out a similar card out of his pocket:

-Great! Now throw the card like this – Alex mimicked the movement of throwing the card forward – to the ground. Use Shuji as a reference, and throw the card in his direction.

Zoe couldn't for the life of her understand what kind of weird game were they playing, but decided she was far beyond the point of questioning. She threw the card, as instructed, and Shuji, on his side, did the same. The cards fell neatly across each other, and Zoe's eyes widened as she saw the card become enveloped by light, blue for hers, brown for Shuji's, and quickly grew larger, reaching nearly the size of the fountain plaza.

-Ladies first. - Shuji taunted with a flourish, smirk permanent on his insufferable face.

She glared at the bully, almost not noticing that her brother had taken a wristwatch and three of those marble spheres from her pouch:

-You might want to put this on. - he said, offering the watch with a stretched-out hand.

-Now you have to throw a Bakugan on one of the gate cards. - he explained as his sister fixed the watch on her wrist – Pick one of these and throw it at one of the cards.

Zoe looked thoughtfully at the three spheres in front of her: one of them was the red and golden marble from earlier that morning, but the other two were almost completely different, as one was a deep ocean blue with turquoise patterns, and the other was a vivid green with silver lines etched into it. Playing it safe, she picked the blue one and chucked it toward her card. Same color could serve as an advantage, right?

The small sphere slowly rolled to the card, the magnet triggering and, with a soft click, making it unfold into what appeared to be a toy representation of a tortoise, it's orange eyes contrasting with the rest of its body. Immediately after, a column of water shot out, making Zoe startle and fall back in surprise, caught safely by her brother. Ah, so that was why he stayed behind her.

The column grew in size, obscuring the massive shadow rising from inside its confines, and disappeared as the shadow roared with strength enough to shake the ground below. The monster was as big as a building, and large enough to almost take half of the entire card to itself. It was best described as some sort of tortoise, like the little toy that once stood in its place, with a giant blue shell and dark blue limbs and head, all of them jagged and dangerous.

It was in these sorts of moments that Zoe really wished she had a voice, so that she could yell in panic like a normal person instead of staring at the beast with a terrified expression, managing to only let out a hoarse, yet horrified pathetic little noise out of her throat. Behind her, she could hear her brother laughing:

-If it serves as comfort... - he consoled – I panicked the first time too.

She stared at him, incredulous and horrified at the same time. Was that really his best response to that madness? The wristwatch beeped to life, making the poor girl almost jump out of her skin. The screen of the device showed a simplified version of the place they were in, displaying the cards they had placed and the toy Zoe had thrown. On the opposing sides of the screen, portraits of Zoe and Shuji were displayed with three small, orange symbols. She also noticed that a picture of the monster was placed directly beneath her portrait.

What on Earth had her brother pulled her into?

-Juggernoid, eh? Not bad... - Shuji commented – You know what? Why not play fair?

From the fact that neither the bully nor his brother was screaming their lungs out, Zoe figured that giant monsters erupting from marble toys was fairly normal on that abomination of a game, and she had been the only one to react by panicking. She would've felt embarrassed if she hadn't decided that those boys, her brother included, were completely insane. Hypersensitive as she was now, she was once again startled by a shout:

-Bakugan, brawl! Stand, Subterra Juggernoid! - Shuji yelled.

Obscured by the massive beast, Zoe could only get a small glimpse of a tower of stone rising from the ground, similar to the previous torrent of water, and shattering with a roar. She honestly wondered if any of those rock fragments had hit the boy on the other side. Judging by the lack of reaction, probably not:

-Okay, this is where things get interesting. - Alex began – See these numbers below the Juggernoids' pictures? Your goal is to get your number above Shuji's. To do this...

He offered the card Zoe had first pulled out. Contrary to the gate card, it was greatly decorated, showing intricate patterns and details. After this madness was over, she had to try drawing one of those:

-...You have to use ability cards. - he finished.

She took the card out of his hand, examining it. There was a theme of throwing in this game, maybe she had to throw this one too? She chucked the small card towards the beast, Juggernoid, and prayed that it would work. She really didn't need a giant angry tortoise lunging at her because of a card stuck in its butt.

To her relief, the card disappeared into light before it could hit Juggernoid, the light seeping into the beast. Invigorated, it roared and charged at its enemy, tackling it and once again making the floor shake from impact. Now that the behemoth wasn't taking up most of her line of sight, Zoe could notice that the beast that appeared from that stone tower was basically a recolor of her own beast, beige and browns replacing the blues:

-Alright! You've got it! - Alex cheered.

-Bro, do something! - Akira shouted urgently

-Already on it. -Shuji exclaimed – Ability activate, Earth Power!

As if command, the enemy Juggernoid gathered itself from the impact and lunged back, headbutting its counterpart and further disturbing the stability of the ground. Zoe flailed around in search of stability, ignoring her brother's laughs. She would probably would die due to these earthquakes before she could find fun in this insanity.

 _Is this really what I'm supposed to do?_ She asked, fumbling to form the signs. _Throw random cards and hope it does something?_

Alex stared, pensive, before shrugging:

-Yeah, pretty much. - was his statement

Zoe turned to stare at the Juggernoids, both still locked in an intense battle of headbutting, Shuji impatiently urging her to make her move. She turned her gaze to the sky above, changing serenely, as if there wasn't a chaotic battle between two giant tortoises happening at that very moment. Zoe sighed, taking out a random ability card from her pouch.

She really, _really_ wanted to scream right now.

* * *

That ridiculous game of back and forth seemed to have no end. After the initial terror of the giant monsters erupting from nowhere and fighting each other for no reason had faded away, what was left was a repetitive, frustrating and boring process: place a card, throw a Bakugan, big monster comes out, and throw cards at the monster until it beats the other monster. Wash, rinse, repeat. Zoe couldn't understand how someone as active as her brother could find interest in this.

It didn't help that the boys, all three of them, were all being hammy and dramatic at every single move. Not only did Zoe have to tolerate a stupid match that seemed to drag on for forever, she also had to tolerate three boys shouting at the top of their lungs as if this was an epic duel that would decide the fate of the world:

-Okay, sis... - Alex murmured – Both you and Shuji are at your last stock. Whoever wins this round wins the brawl.

'Thank god' she thought. The faster she finished this and returned to the park, the better. At that point, she really didn't care about anything anymore.

True to her brother's word, there was now only one card placed on the battlefield, still pristine white even after all that chaos. How, exactly, she had no idea. From what she saw until now, Bakugan made quite a mess:

-Alright, let's end this. - Shuji said, throwing one of his Bakugan towards the gate card- Go, Fear Ripper!

Just like before, the Bakugan landed on the card and, almost immediately after, began to unfold into a gigantic monster. Fear Ripper appeared to be Shuji's favorite, a humanoid Bakugan with gigantic clawed hands and a creepy, ever present, malicious grin. Determined to just end this and go home, Zoe decided to go with Serpenoid, the red and gold Bakugan. Serpenoid emerged from the flames in whisps of ruby red scales and glaring green eyes, immediately lunging at Fear Ripper and biting at its throat. It seemed the Bakugan were impatient as well:

-Ability activate! Slash 0!

-C'mon, Zoe, don't you dare lose!

-You can do it, Shuji!

The cacophony rose again as the Bakugan clawed and bit at each other, true animals fighting for the sake of nothing, and the boys started to shout again. To her credit, and Shuji's frustration, she had quickly learned that she was very good at countering attacks, being fond of the satisfaction of throwing everything he offered back at him with almost as much intensity and watching him scramble to recover.

Even so, Shuji definitely had experience under his belt, comfortable with his brutish style, seeking to overwhelm his opponents before they could react. Either that, or Zoe made for a very pathetic rookie.

At one point, she managed to deal out an effective ability card, seeing as Serpenoid managed to coil aroud Fear Ripper, the Bakugan struggling within its confines. Shuji let out a distressed noise as Alex almost jumped in excitement:

-That's it! - he cheered – Now's your chance! Finish him!

Allowing a smirk across her face, she once again picked an ability card, ready to deal the final blow that would end this disaster of a game. As she was ready to throw the card towards Serpenoid, a voice cut through the noise. Quiet, yet clear as day.

 _Zoe..._

Pain shot through her as Zoe clutched her head, letting the card slip from her hand and slip to the floor. She could hear her brother's exclamations of worry, mixes of "Are you alright?' and 'Wait, guys, she's in pain!' as he held her kneeling, doubled over body close to him. Wait, when had she kneeled? She couldn't remember.

At that point, her head felt like it would split open. Tears startled to form in the corners of her eyes as her brother kept calling to her, trying to pull her towards reality. It was for naught, as his voice felt more and more like white noise, muffled as though they were underwater. Fear began to settle as the strange voice continued calling, calling, calling...

Perhaps it was due to her own panic, or perhaps it was an act of desperation, a futile attempt to get whatever thing causing that out of her, but nonetheless, she threw her head back, unaware that the sky no longer held those vivid and vibrant colors, but an ugly mix of purples and blacks. She pretended, for a second, that the ear-splitting sound of lightning were her own voice, before losing whatever semblance of consciousness she had was going smoothly until he reached the pocket dimension. The void was kind enough to still grant him access to the souls there residing. Even when he felt their intensity increasing, together with the curious spikes of power (power that, he later realized, was much similar to his own), his little beacon held strong, guiding him through the darkness.

* * *

 _This wasn't meant to happen..._

Everything was going smoothly until he reached the pocket dimension. The void was kind enough to still grant him access to the souls there residing. Even when he felt their intensity increasing, together with the curious spikes of power (power that, he later realized, was much similar to his own), his little beacon held strong, guiding him through the darkness.

Things started to get more complicated as he became close, as their thoughts became clearer and clearer:

 _I'll crush this chump, I'm sure of it._

 _There's no way Shuji could lose!_

 _Fight...Survive...Destroy..._

 _Don't worry, Alex. Zoe's smart, she can win this._

And, lastly, his little beacon, repeating the same mantra over and over.

 _If I win this, I can go home._

At that point, he felt that he had somehow pierced the dimension's barrier, as he felt its power surrounding him, wrapping around him. It was suffocating. Soon, the sound of battle reached him, together with the high-pitched cheers of someone, probably the souls' owners, barely being heard.

As he descended, pain arising from the dimension's attempts of engulfing him began to strain his movements, turning his careful entry int an outright freefall. He felt his own soul constricting in and on itself. A futile attempt to stall the veil's advances. His form began to constrict into pure energy, and he felt his consciousness slowly fade.

 _No..._

Below him, the voices had become cacophonous. His beacon held strong, a tiny feeling of pride rose and was meticulously locked back by it, slowly savoring an imminent triumph:

"C'mon, Zoe! Don't you dare lose!" One of the voices said.

Ah, so that was the beacon's name. Leonidas held onto it like a lifeline, already feeling the unconscious bond formed between them.

 _Zoe..._

He stopped fighting, already too tired to resist, and let his soul descend into the battlefield, repeating his beacon's name in hopes that his voice could reach it. Relief washed over him when, in his last moments of consciousness, he felt as if his little beacon had taken his pain as his own.

* * *

 **Author's note: I must apologize, for I can't write action scenes for shit.**


	7. Chapter 6: Leonidas

**Bakugan Battle Brawlers belongs to Spin Masters and Sega Toys.**

* * *

Zoe didn't know how long was she unconscious, or how did they manage to come back from that battlefield they were on, but nevertheless, she woke up back at the park, greeted by the happy chirping of birds, the rough feeling of the wood that made up one of the benches at the plaza, the sun burning brightly above her and Alex and the duo of bullies having the screaming match of the century near the fountain.

God, her head hurt.

She allowed herself a second to remember how to move, slowly getting up and stumbling to her feet with the exact grace of a newborn fawn, her sibling too caught up in shouting his throat raw to notice the absolute fool his sister was making of herself. Once she was sure she wouldn't fall on her face when walking, she glanced at the argument still ongoing. They were so caught up in making each other deaf that none of the three would notice if the girl just walked away and left them behind.

Just as that thought passed through her head, Zoe noticed that the argument had abruptly stopped. She stood, bewildered, as Shuji did a 180° and stomped off, Akira sending her brother a dirty glare before following his brother. Alex didn't notice his sister walking towards him, too focused on glaring at the bullies to pay attention. And so, when the two retreating figures disappeared from sight and he finally allowed himself to relax, he sighed and turned around, meeting with the sudden sight of his sister, passed out at the nearby bench seconds ago, staring at him with intense, curious eyes. He let out a loud, not at all manly screech:

"Jesus Christ!" He exclaimed "Warn a man, would ya? Do you want to give me a heart attack?"

" _What was that about?_ " She signed, ignoring her brother's panic.

"Oh, well..." He scratched the back of his head "After the whole lightning fiasco, we were thrown out of the battlefield. Don't ask me how."

Zoe quirked up one eyebrow, suspicious of her brother's tone:

"After that, Shuji kept insisting for a rematch." He continued "He kept saying that that match didn't count, and that he 'wanted to wipe the floor with you properly', or some nonsense like that."

Alex took a deep breath:

"Of course, I was already pretty tense since, you know, my sister had just got struck by lightning right in front of me, and they wouldn't go away, and they kept saying that I was making the whole lightning thing up..." He trailed off.

 _This can't be good._ Zoe thought " _And what did you do?_ "

His shoulders tensed. _Definitely not good._ She concluded:

"At first, I lashed out." her brother admitted "I was just angry. You can't just say that you're making something like your sister getting electrocuted up, you know?"

She nodded, urging him along:

"After some time, I just wanted them to go away." He sighed "I told them that you were not battling again, but then they said that that would label him the winner by default."

" _And we couldn't have that. Or at least, you couldn't._ " She finished, mouth set in a thin line.

He groaned:

"Zoe..." he started "Shuji is like, the worst brawler in town. Trust me, losing to him is a criminal offense."

" _So you set me up for another battle._ " She asked, frowning once her brother winced.

"Yea...about that..." he now refused to look at her in the eye "Shuji was all in for a rematch, but then Akira said that, since their beef is with you, me helping you in the brawl 'just wouldn't be fair'."

Zoe's expression hardened:

" _Alex._ " She signed, putting emphasis on every word. " _What did you do?_ "

Said Alex was now sweating bullets, conveniently finding a lot of interest in the beige stones that made up the plaza. The air was once again dense with anticipation, and the boy was in no rush in telling his sister the truth. After a few seconds, he seemed to have accepted whatever fate he had wrought upon himself, as he shut his eyes tightly and spoke in the quietest voice imaginable:

"I... might've promised that you would fight in the next Bakugan tournament."

The world screeched to a halt.

* * *

To say that Leonidas was lost was an understatement.

He wasn't in the pocket dimension, that much he knew. This new place had much less power, there were too many souls, scattered and crowded at the same time, and it was bright, too bright.

Then again, traveling through the complete darkness of the void then landing in a new, void less place probably had to do with something with this last problem.

He allowed a moment to take in his surrounding and his situation. He felt small, smaller than before. Although there was a significantly high number of souls in this new dimension, they were mostly tuned off or unable to access, like far off voices in an infinite wasteland. There was also something warm enveloping him, although he couldn't quite pinpoint from where.

Leonidas breathed in slowly. The first thing I have to do is find out where I am. He thought. Only then I can make a decision on what to do next-

What could only be described as immense anger suddenly coursed through him. It was so intense that he forgot to think for a second, allowing the white-hot fury to pass through his entire being. Just as quickly as it overcame him, it quickly retreated. Not quite disappearing, but staying dormant at the very back of his mind.

Curious, he allowed himself to sink into the new feeling. Analyzing it further, it would've been an insult to pass the emotion as mere anger. It was an intricate mix of fury, confusion, resignation, and frustration. The telltale frustration of being unable to let these ugly sentiments out of you and towards the world, being forced to lock them at the very back of your subconscious. Leonidas took this new emotion as merely one thing.

His little beacon, Zoe, was nearby.

Still unable to fully maneuver in this tiny, rigid body, but determined to do so, Leonidas moved forward, letting his beacon once again work as a compass towards his destination. As he drew closer, he noticed another soul together with his beacon. He couldn't quite pinpoint the other's emotions like he did with his beacon, but he could still sense intense amounts of regret, embarrassment and pity.

Just what were they were doing?

Once again, the voices came first as an off-tuned chatter, but began to develop as Leonidas drew closer to the duo:

"Look, Zoe, how many times do I have to say that I'm sorry?" Other said "It was either this or Bully 1 and Bully 2 annoying us to no end."

Leonidas heard a huff, probably from Zoe, and a sigh from Other. He must have successfully approached the two, as their voices became clearer and clearer:

"Dang it, Zoe. Can you at least do something other than huff and refuse to look me in the eye?!" Other shouted.

Out of nowhere, something grabbed him. He had no time to react as he was thrown at something, feeling his body clash against something soft and then crash against what he assumed to be the floor:

"Ow! What was that for?!" Other cried out "You almost hit my eye- hey, is that a Bakugan?"

* * *

To say that Zoe Abner was angry was an understatement.

As much as she liked to brag that she had inherited the brains of the family, she was also quick to admit that her brother had better judgement than anyone else she knew. She knew that, when it came to impulse decisions, Alex always took the ones that resulted in minimum damage received from the consequences.

Knowing this, **how could he think that setting up his _inexperienced, not at all interested in Bakugan_ sister into a Bakugan _tournament_ was a good idea?**

She didn't even think twice when she threw the Bakugan at him. She just saw something on the ground, thought screw it and nailed her idiot of a brother right in the head.

Now that said Bakugan was now talking, sitting neatly on her brother's cupped palms, she was starting to have second thoughts:

"Where am I?" the toy asked.

"Um...Planet Earth?" Alex said, confusion clear in his voice. "Aren't you from Vestroia?"

"...No." the thing answered.

Zoe looked at her brother with confusion clear in her face. He, in turn, only offered her a shrug in response:

"Then where are you from? How did you come here?"

The Bakugan paused, likely taking in the question:

"I come from...far away." it began "I first had Vestroia as my objective, but then something...someone caught my attention, and then led me here."

The siblings glanced at each other:

"Someone?" Alex asked "Who is this someone?"

The toy turned, now facing Zoe directly:

"You."

Zoe allowed the information to settle. _Me, somehow summoning an extraterrestrial monster in disguise as a toy?_ She thought. _Not only is this absurd, but completely impossible._

"You call something absurd, after witnessing a battle of giants?" the toy abruptly said. "You think that something is impossible, even though you've survived a lightning strike that certainly would've left you for dead?"

A tense silence washed over the siblings.

 _Did that Bakugan just read my mind?_ Zoe thought.

"I told you, you led me here." it continued "Your beliefs are your own, but do not discard what is in front of you as absurd."

"Hey, um..." Alex trailed off, trying to once again catch the Bakugan's attention. "What's your name, again? You never really told us."

"Leonidas." it answered. "I am Darkus Leonidas."

"So...Leonidas." her brother started "Since, according to what you said, my sister led you here, you wouldn't mind helping her with something."

"And what would that be?"

"You see, she is going to enter a tournament." he explained. "It'll be full of tough competitors. Don't you think that she'd have to have an equally tough partner?"

 _What is he going on about?_ She thought.

"Will this 'tournament' have other Bakugan?" Leonidas asked.

"It's a Bakugan tournament." Alex retorted. "It's kinda it's whole shtick."

Leonidas nodded. Or at least, Zoe thought it nodded. It then faced her once again, fluttering towards her, resting hon her now held out palms. Now that it was close to her, she could tell some small differences from previous Bakugan she had seen. When open, he held a shape very resembling of a dragon, and while other Bakugan were of a singular, bright color with small accents of detail, Leonidas was purely black, making the different lightning patterns colored yellow, green and lilac appear more noticeable. Its yellow eyes stared up at her, although she guessed that it couldn't see very well:

"Then I shall be your 'partner' from now on." It said with conviction. "No soul shall stand on our path as long as you have me."

 _I'm going to regret this, aren't I?_ Zoe thought.

Although it had no apparent features, Zoe could still feel Leonidas smiling.

"I trust you won't, little beacon." it whispered, almost too quietly to be heard.


	8. Intermission: The Villian's Story

**B** **akugan Battle Brawlers belongs to Sega Toys and Spin Masters**

* * *

The Doom Dimension.

A wasteland that stretched towards places unknown, with dull, stony terrain and dry air, eternally subjected to dark, clouded skies and vicious lightning storms. The only change one could find in its dead scenery was the occasional corpses of Bakugans, once vibrant and vivid, much like stars, now laid desperate and discarded, having their final moments frozen forever in time as some sort of cruel mockery.

If Vestroia was to be considered a magnificent constellation, full of life and power all over its six dimensions, then the Doom Dimension was nothing short of a black hole, expanding and consuming everything in their path.

Those who fell into the Doom Dimension were destined to never leave. It was scripted into the very nature of Bakugan. Once you reached the Doom Dimension, you were fated to perished.

Vladitor, however, refused to abide to such fate.

He could not answer as to how long had he been wandering, neither could he tell how many times he tried to flee, only to have his hopes crushed. Of course, he stopped counting a long time ago. Having to spend the rest of your days on an endless limbo tended to do that. He could only tell that he was wandering, alone and barring insanity.

He could not say that he had completely abandoned his drive, else he would stop this hopeless peregrination and join the dead around him, but more and more did his desires seem farther and farther from fulfillment. It seemed that he persisted more out of a phantom feeling of hatred towards the ones who banished him than an actual desire for escape.

He knew, better than anyone, that there was no hope for those like him. And so, lost within his thoughts, he persisted on as some sort of errand phantom. A mere shell.

It was because of this that, when the earth suddenly shook and the thunderstorms increased in intensity, he became somewhat surprised. A place meant to be eternally still wasn't supposed to have events like this.

But then, the sky opened, overwhelmed with negative energy pouring out from the fissures amongst the dark clouds. Vladitor braced himself, waiting for what surely would be his end.

Just as quickly as it started, it was gone. Leaving the wasteland in complete silence.

Slowly opening his eyes, Vladitor looked skyward in confusion, to the raging storm still ongoing. Amongst the darkened sky and vicious lightning, a portal stood, wavering in its own energy. At first, he merely stood, frozen, reaching out shakily, almost as if in fear that the gateway would close at any moment. When the portal didn't disappear, Vladitor let out a short, breathy laugh that soon escalated to a full on cackle.

Finally, he had a chance to escape.

Never looking behind, he jumped into the portal, abandoning his prison to his path towards freedom.

* * *

Norrkoping, Sweden.

A bustling city, being one of the most important industrial and commercial centers in Sweden. With one of the biggest ports in the country, together with most of the textile industry. It was often called "the Manchester of Sweden" for a reason.

To Erik Olsson, however, it was the most boring place one could ever find the bad luck of being in.

It had been nearly a month since he abandoned Bakugan brawling all together, and he barely had anything to do ever since. This probably had to do with the fact that it was the worldwide fever of his generation, meaning that even when he actively tried to avoid it, it ended up finding him one way or another.

Some of the other kids still recognized him if he managed to bypass them, some of them even bold enough to taunt him or challenge him to a brawl. Those cases ended up with him bruising his knuckles and the poor victim clutching their bruised face or, in worst case scenario, their broken nose.

He couldn't say he forgot how it was like in his glory days: Erik Olsson, the top brawler of Sweden. It was just that a chain of events led him to lose the love he once had for Bakugan. He just couldn't see the appeal of it anymore.

Because of this, he was perfectly content on finding little things to pass the time in order to fill the empty space, like mask-making and walking with his dog. Sure, they didn't erase his newfound bitterness over the game, or having the privilege of having to see the face of the dastard who caused the whole mess in the first place almost every day. But alas, what is a moody teenager to do. At least he was moving to Japan soon due to his mom's job transfer.

Of course, life took a single look at Erik's attempts at making a mature decision and move on with his life and decided that no, that just wouldn't do.

It was his last day under the Swedish summer, with weather leaning less on bone-freezing cold and the sun shining brightly despite the very-much nighttime of 7 PM. Ergo, the perfect day to use the excuse of walking the dog and promptly bolting from the responsibility of organizing the rest of the boxes of his room.

Laika trotted happily at the front, held by the well-secured leash around her neck, occasionally stopping to pee at a pole or greet another dog passing down the street, tongue hung at the side of her mouth as she panted to her heart's content. Erik followed close behind, one hand holding the leash tightly and the other in his pocket, chuckling at his dog's goofy behavior. The walk continued like this, the peaceful atmosphere easily numbing his mind into a comfortably foggy state.

Because of that, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Laika suddenly stopped, barking fiercely at the sky:

"Laika!" he tugged at her leash "Calm down, girl! Seriously, what wrong-"

Something shot past him, missing him by a hair, in a burst of light. He immediately froze, gingerly looking around. There was no one in that particular street. Just his luck:

"W-who's there!?" he called, fearing the worst.

No one answered, but Laika kept barking, setting off every sort of alarm in his head. He knew that, if push came to shove, he could defend himself, and Laika, sweet, protective Laika, never forgot her days as a hunting dog. None of that made him less nervous, though.

A groan came out from behind him, and Erik quickly turned around to the source of the sound, putting Laika behind him as best as he could. Looking around, he saw no one, and the sound of his rapid heartbeat was now thundering in his ears. He was ready to run away when:

"You." an echoey voice rang "Where am I?"

This time, Erik did jump in surprise:

"Who's there!" He shouted "Answer me!"

"Settle down."

The voice came from below him, and so, Erik looked downwards. There was a small crater on the concrete and, in the middle of it, a black Bakugan stood:

"You make too much noise."

By the time he returned home, it was well past 9 PM, even though the sun still shone through outside. It was a battle for the Bakugan to calm him down, without counting Laika trying to chomp the little toy down. Now, it sat at one of the boxes in the kitchen while Erik finished to pour Laika water, who drank vividly:

"Let me get this straight." He said "You are a Bakugan that was banished to the Doom Dimension and sort of wandered there through eons."

"That is correct." The Bakugan answered.

"And, through some sort of weird miracle, you were only now able to escape?"

"Precisely."

"...That is... quite hard to believe, buddy." He paused "I mean, don't Bakugan that go to the Doom Dimension die?"

"Only those with weak will, something I do not have."

Erik gulped, a sour expression on his face:

"So... what do you plan on doing now?" he asked tentatively, making his way to the stairs.

"I will get revenge."

Erik paused mid-step in order to stare at the Bakugan, then shook his head and continued to go upstairs.

"On who?"

"Those who wronged me." it floated up to Erik's face "The six warriors of old, who trapped me in that wretched place."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" he inquired, opening the door to his room "You're not exactly going to be able to do much on Earth, especially alone."

"That is why you will help me."

Erik's eyes widened as he shot up and backed away from the Bakugan:

"Whoa, back up. What did you say?"

"Didn't you say Bakugan partake in 'brawls' with the aid of humans?" it asked "So then, you shall be my partner."

"Sorry, but no." he ran a hand through his hair "I stopped brawling, and don't pretend to return. Besides, you gave me absolutely no reason I should help you."

"Who said our partnership would only benefit me?" it said "Only a fool makes a proposal with advantages only to his side."

"Really, now?" his tone turned sarcastic "Do tell, what will I gain from this exchange?"

"My power, and my aid." it once again floated to stand face to face with Erik "Just as you will help me on Earth and in battle, so will I attend to whatever wish you have. Don't you want justice against someone in particular?"

Erik stared at it, pensive, then offered a palm for the Bakugan to sit on:

"Actually," he started "I never really got your name."

"I'm Darkus Vladitor."

He looked at one of the recently-made masks he had yet to put away. It was a half-faced mask, white with some red details and a curved, horizontal slit for the eye. He picked it up, turning it over, and smiled.

"Vladitor, huh?" he said "There actually is someone I'd like to... settle scores with."

* * *

Although surprised, his mother didn't question his sudden wish to go to the park in order to brawl one last time, neither she questioned much about his outfit, only asking to change it before they had to go to the airport.

And so, it was child's play to find the circle of kids, who included his ex-best friend, and ask for a match against the jerk. Kids, being kids, didn't find anything weird about that and easily abided, with his victim bearing an overconfident smirk before the both them started the brawl.

The match was over before it even began.

Vladitor, true to his word, was ruthlessly powerful in battle, and equally as vicious. With him by Erik's side, there wasn't even a chance for the other boy to fight.

Erik glared at the kneeling form of the boy who he despised so much, and turned on his hell, striding away confidently. The other kids parted like the Red Sea, all staring in awe and shock. He was almost at the entrance of the park when he heard:

"Who are you, anyway?" A girl asked, voice shaky.

He smirked, turning just so that the sunlight hit the mask he placed at the right side of his face:

"I'm Marduk." He answered "And I will be the strongest brawler the world has ever seen."

* * *

 **Just an intermission made in order to take a breather and better organize the story.**

 **Sidenote:**

 **Me: Marduk's mask is probably something he bought somewhere**

 **My dumbass artist brain: But what if he made it, tho?**

 **Me: The kid's, like, 12. That'd be impossible.**

 **My brain, once again: Yeah, but... what if he made it?**


End file.
